Lug nuts used to secure wheels and wheel rims on heavy trucks, buses, trailers, recreational vehicles, or the like are threadably mated with corresponding studs extending through the wheel hub to provide a clamping force. As the popularity of expensive tires and expensive alloy rims has increased, the incidence of theft of these items has also increased.
Heretofore, anti-theft nuts have been proposed for use, whereby the user removes an existing conventional nut and replaces the conventional nut with a specially designed ant-theft nut that requires a special key or adapter for application of torque to the anti-theft nut. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,742,702 and 4,897,008. Newer truck wheel systems require a large clamping force and different types of nuts depending on the wheel system, and studs are made longer to accommodate different wheel types. It would be desirable to have a device for deterring or preventing theft that does not require removal of an existing lug nut.